Hello Summer!

Well, I’ve got no good excuses.  I’ve been MIA for TOO LONG. So here is the run down of my life lately:

• I HEART Pure Barre! Get the deal on Living Social if you live in the Clearwater Area.  If not, find a deal in your area and try it.  55 minutes a day will change your life!
• Summer is here! I am enjoying every minute of it and stepping into my summer groove.
• Loads of New TpT products posted! I don’t want this to be a product overload site, though:) I like to  write for the pure joy of writing:)
• Currently reading: If I Stay by Gayle Forman and The Book Thief (STILL!) AND Kristin Hannah’s True Colors
• My favorite thing about summer in Florida is the afternoon/evening torrential downpours!  It makes the heat and humidity bearable:)
• Working on ME-externally and internally:)
• Currently working on several projects which include a Narrative Writing Unit, Back to School Forms, Data Binder, Teacher Binder and too much more.  Brain is on overdrive, yet loving the time to let it go!

I am also currently trying to get my blog switched over to http://www.butterfliesanddaydreams.com.  However, it is all new to me, so takes a while! 🙂  I will keep you posted! I just wanted to drop a few lines to my lovely readers to let you know that yes, butterflies and daydreams DOES exist! And, as always- thank you for reading:)

Happy Summer!

Jessica

Math Concept Posters + Giveaway!

Happy Friday! What a week! Let me start off by patting myself on the back for TWO blog posts this week!    Today’s post is a link up Blogger Product Swap with Learning to Be Awesome and The Core of Grade 4.  I have had the pleasure of using the The Core of Grade 4’s Math Concept Posters in my classroom. So, let’s get right to it.  I am excited to share this product with you!

So, Math is not my strength.  Neither is Science.  I am a Reading and Writing girl at heart.  I live in books, notebooks, words, and pencils.  When I first looked at this product by Amy, I thought it would be a great tool to use with my students. We use Math Journals every day and most of our Math Workshop is spent in our notebooks.  I was excited to use this as an anchor chart for my students in their notebooks. I debated about how to use this resource in my classroom because it really lends itself to being used in so many ways!  Amy suggested it could be used in their math journals, as an assessment, or developed as a class.  I work at a Title One school and we have an extremely diverse population. My classroom includes ESE, ESOL, Gifted, and regular ed students. The range of math levels in my classroom is very wide.  So, I chose not to start this with my whole group, but rather two students.  I did this for two reasons:

1. To better understand how to answer the questions!  The questions are GREAT questions and if students have mastered the standard, they should be able to answer the question! I love it. I should be able to answer the question as well.  Lol 🙂 I am new to 4^th grade after being in 3^rd grade for a LONG time and 5^th for one year.  I have to learn everything I teach this year.  I love 4^th grade, but it has been a very overwhelming year. And 4th grade Math is kind of crazy! 🙂
2. To see how my students responded.  I began this work with two of my higher level students to gauge how my highest level response might look like in my classroom.  This gave me a point of reference when I use these in the future with the other students in the classroom.

I started using the Math posters with my gifted student.  I pulled two of the concept posters based on what we have already learned about fractions.

She knocked my socks off.

I started by sitting down with her and showing her the first poster.  (I shrunk them down 85% so we could glue them in our math notebooks. Next time, I will probably shrink them a tad more.)  We did the first question together, which was “How can I use efficient strategies to compare fractions?”  I just began this conference with the question, expecting to discuss her thoughts and how she would answer it.

Her eyes began to sparkle and she timidly asked if she could just write  on the paper. She’s always one step ahead. She then proceeded to give two examples and then labeled her strategies.  I encouraged her to explain a little bit more.  She was good to go on this task, so I gave her the two fractions posters of the material we have already learned and told her to just work on the rest of the questions answering them the same way that she did.  She literally ran back to her desk to get started.  It was hilarious.

Later, during our Math Intervention, I had her work with another student to complete the posters together.  It was heartwarming to watch these two girls excitedly try to figure out how to answer the questions while discussing all the things we have been learning about fractions so far.

For higher level students, the questions offer a nice challenge for students to answer and make their own chart for their Math Journal.  This could also be used for an assessment after learning the unit.  I will probably use these as a wrap up activity when we end our unit on fractions.  I might have my students complete with a partner and then have a gallery walk around our classroom.  As I experimented with these two students, I learned so much about what they could do and where I could go next to extend their thinking.  These concept posters turned into such a natural yet higher level assessment.  The best part?  My students loved it!

 

I am ecstatic with how this worked out with my students! 🙂 I am nowhere near finished using this product.  I am only on the tip of the iceberg.   It is often very difficult to meet all the needs of all of your students.  The past few years, I have worked to find ways to continually challenge my higher level students.  This resource is another way to do that.

You might also want to check out her store The Core of Grade 4 because she has these Concept Posters for grades 3-5 on a variety of concepts in Math and Science!  I had a very difficult time making a choice because I could use them ALL!! 🙂  I already have the rest of my Fractions, Place Value and Measurement Posters ready to go!

Next week, we are getting into Fractions and Decimals.  These concept posters are going to help keep me focused!

Now that you have heard all about this resource and seen the magic in action, enter our giveaway for a chance to get this product for FREE!!!

Amy is also reviewing a product of mine over at her blog The Core of Grade 4.  You can check out my product Bookagram and enter our giveaway for my product.  We’ve got your Math and Reading fix on a  Friday!

I hope you have a great weekend and thank you so much for stopping by!  🙂

Hump Day Highlight #2

Woohoo! Halfway through another week! Well, it only took 3 weeks before I completed another post.  I admire other teacher bloggers who are able to post more consistently than I.  How do you do it?!?  I don’t feel like I …

Hump Day Highlight

Guess what day it is….Guess what day it is…Mike, Mike, Mike….It’s HUMP DAY! Woot! Woot!  Oh, I crack myself up  Seriously though…ready for Friday!

 

Happy Wednesday, friends!  Today, I am doing my FIRST EVER link up with one of my all time favorite teacher blogs Mrs. Stanford’s Class.  Before I even tell you about my Hump Day Highlight, I just have to say that if you ever need any techy help, you should check out her blog and YouTube channel.  I found her blog over the summer and she has truly helped me on my TPT Journey 

Moving right along, to what’s happening in my 4th Grade Classroom. Do you ever feel like you have to move on with curriculum whether your kiddos are ready to or not?  I can sense the nodding of heads.  Do you feel like it’s your fault because there are more who haven’t mastered a concept than have?

That’s exactly how I feel this year.  I have felt so much pressure for my kids to do things and be somewhere they are not.  Especially in Math.  The concept I am talking about in this situation would be two and three digit division.  A difficult concept if you have not mastered:  1)basic multiplication facts 2)the concept of basic division.  I feel like I overused “concept”…You get the idea.

Well, Math is not my strength and I have worked REALLY , REALLY hard this year to create materials and lessons that engage my students, make sense to me, and most importantly-make sense to them. 

We worked on the 4th Grade Division standards in the Fall.  Even though I had to move on after Thanksgiving Break, it is so apparent my students have not mastered this.  During December and continuing through January, our focus will be Fractions.  However, my students still NEED Division practice & to master their basic Multiplication Facts. 

So, that’s the story behind my product Division is SNOW much fun!  I needed a fun way for my students to continue working on Division.   These are Winter-Themed Division Task Cards and Printables. 

On Monday, we were very fortunate to have a Pro-Ed Day, so I could get these laminated and ready to go for this week.  There are 36 Task Cards that look like this:

This is the recording sheet they will use for the problems:

There are 4 of these numbered up to 36.   I also included this sheet, which I planned on using at first. 

The reason I am not using this sheet in my classroom is because my students tend to NOT show their work. (I’m sure my students are the only ones who do this…) So, I needed to provide an answer sheet with enough workspace.  And of course, remind them to use it!

How am I using these in my classroom?

We have a 30 minute Math Intervention, which in real time ends up being 10 minutes.  15 if I am lucky.  So each of my kids will do one problem per day.  We will rotate through all of the problems.  I will work with small groups on one problem, while others work with a partner and/or independently.  By using only 9 problems per sheet, I will know how they are doing BEFORE completing 36 division problems WRONG. Waste of time. 

Also, to keep myself and my students organized I will only start with the first 18 so they only have 1 page to keep track of- front and back.  I have 21 students in my class.  Four will be on the computer and Four will work with me.  So, I have options for students to work with a partner or individually.

This product also includes the problems in a worksheet format if anyone wanted to go that route

Other highlights of the week which are NOT school related, but made me very happy are:

• More Living Room Yoga with this guy:

• Titan’s First Birthday! On January 3rd, he turned a year old! He is a spoiled little puppy!

• And…Titan enamored by the Cricut

It was pretty entertaining to watch Please ignore the background mess.  The office/craft room/crap room/guest bedroom is still under construction! We just moved in October.  I was supposed to be cleaning and got sidetracked by the Cricut on Saturday night.  So it is STILL under construction!

I can’t wait to link up with all of the other wonderful bloggers for their Hump Day Highlight! I will be sure to get my glass of wine and enjoy some good reads!

Happy Hump Day!  Friday just got a little bit closer

Things I’m Loving Friday #1

Happy New Year!  It’s only Day 2 of 2015, but I’m already feeling the hope, change, & excitement of the upcoming year.  One of my hugest unofficial New Year’s Resolutions is to BLOG MORE!!  Long before I started TPTing , I LOVED reading blogs so much that I decided to create my own.  This poor little piece of my world needs some TLC!  So, like many seasoned bloggers, I adding some structure to my post and beginning my first weekly series.  Things I’m Loving Friday!  My love of blogging came from reading Peanut Butter Fingers– a health, fitness, and fun blog.  I look forward to this post every Friday and am going to give it a go myself.  So, here goes!

1)  Living Room Yoga – I have really gotten out of my yoga habit since school started and I have missed it so much!!  I’ve been running, but my body has missed the stretching and strengthening.  So, I decided to bring the yoga to my living room!  I found a 22 minute class On Demand & cranked up some Lorde radio.  I am not impressed with the yoga series, but I just needed a guide to remind me of my regular routine.  This will do until I can get my behind into the studio!  My favorite part of living room yoga is this guy:

This brings a whole new meaning to downward dog! Or is this puppy pose?

2)  Persevering with a Book! –I began reading this book, So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman way too long ago.  I was so distracted by school and she was a new author.  I get stuck on the same authors and find it hard to venture out.  I am a creature of habit.  Her writing is a little too high level after a full day of teaching 10 year olds   So, I put it down and picked it back up for too long and too many times.  As a result, it felt like nothing was  happening.  Well, lo and behold, it did pick up and was really good!  There were so many small meaningful details that I had to piece back through the novel to pick up all the little parts I missed when I thought nothing was happening!

3)  New Year’s Eve House Parties!-  Ryan, Titan, and I had such a cozy New Year’s Eve.  Don’t let them fool you! They LOVE their hats!  My two studs!

4) Contact Lens Case Drying Mat-  (or washcloths) This is probably the best $2.99 (each) I’ve spent all month!  I found two of these washcloths at Ross on New Year’s Day and had to buy them.   I love the gray stripes and blue polka dots design.  If they had a whole towel set, I definitely would have bought it! But I will settle for the “Contact Lens Case Drying Mat.”

 

5)  Bookagram- I am so excited about one of my newest products on Teachers Pay Teachers!  It is a social media style Book Recommendation for students after they finish a book.  I cannot wait to share with my 4th Graders on Tuesday! They are going to LOVE it! I need to make a Bookagram for the display area in my classroom! Once I figure that out I’ll be sure to post classroom pics!  If you are interested in this product, please click here.

Technorati Tags: TPT,Teachers Pay Teachers,My Products

Technorati Tags: Things I’m Loving Friday,Reading,Books,Titan,New Year’s Eve

Well, there it is folks! I would love to hear what you are loving this Friday.  If you are a teacher, there is the unspoken obvious one- having the past 2 weeks off!!! WOOHOO! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!!!

Jessica

Who Was…? A Biography Project

Happy Monday!! It has been a productive one around here   As I write these words, I also realize some of the events of today.  I was very excited to be off today and have the morning to myself to complete at least ONE new product.  The way I work tends to be 20 things going at the same time.  (Anybody with me?)  However, I really needed the feeling of accomplishing SOMETHING! As teachers, I think we have high ambitions for our breaks from school.  I know I do!  So, I woke up early, started the coffee, and got my Netflix going for some background noise while I worked.  It never really feels like work when you’re “watching TV.”

Well, Titan wasn’t having it.  After about an hour of working, Titan knocked over a water bottle and it landed on my laptop.  It’s hard to be mad at him when I did leave the cap off…

So, that computer is being drained for the next few days after I did some high quality research on you tube and google.  (If you have any other suggestions, please let me know!)  I then began working on my personal laptop to finish the following project.  Then, I did some yoga in our living room.  I wish I had a video camera set up to record how that went with Titan in the house! He thought it was playtime!

Without further ado, I am going to tell you about my latest project.  This is my very first blog post about a product I have on Teachers Pay Teachers, so here goes!!!

This product came as a result of my 3rd grade students last year (2013).  In our district, we have an additional 30 minutes for Reading Intervention outside of the regular 90-120 minute block.  During this time, students are either pulled out if they are ESE/ESOL or they work in a small group with me.  What to do about those other students?  We have computers and I rotate students through those as well as rotations through a group with me.  However, I wanted something more engaging than simply reading independently.  I love to read and they do too (it is a requirement in my class that you love to read ) 

I had a handful of higher level boys who seemed to really enjoy the Who Was.. ? series.  It was adorable how excited they got to learn about different people! Seriously, I had to special order Who Were the Beatles?

After seeking out multiple copies from my beloved teacher friends, I partnered students up with the books and gave them this sheet to keep track of what they learned. I started a small Biography Unit (which is another incomplete project)  and after reading a couple of these books. (2 hours each-easy reads for adults) I noticed a pattern with these books.  I used the pattern of the books to create questions which would keep my kids focused on events, the characters/subjects, and why this person was important-what they learned.  This was the end result.  I have tweaked it since I used it, but the questions are still the same.

Students completed this sheet as they read.  I explained to them what they were to do.  1) Read the book 2) As they read, look for the answers to these questions 3)  Write an essay telling all about this person, using the graphic organizer as a guide to their writing  4)  Create a poster about their person

This was really all the guidance I gave my students last year.  I wanted to learn from them and see what they would do.  Students are OUR greatest teachers.  They did amazing.  When we did these projects toward the end of the year, we had already worked on Informational Essays.  So, it was nice to see them use some of these strategies.  As for the posters-some were better than others, but they all put forth tremendous effort  What amazed me the most was the enthusiasm and engagement.  If you look at the first student’s poster with his essay attached, this was a child that had already been retained twice,  had MANY home issues, and way too many absences.  He took this project to heart and worked harder on this than anything I had seen all year.  Melted. My. Heart.

 

I wanted to use these again this year, so I updated the format and added a template because my students needed a little more guidance.  Also, it would be nice to have a smaller version of these so they could do these more often with different people.  This is the poster template included in the product.

And because it is a Writing Project I included some publishing paper.  Two versions because I couldn’t decide!!!

If you like this writing paper, you should check out my Planned, Polished, & Published Writing Paper Pack here.

So there it is, folks!  My first attempt at a Product Post! Lol! I hope you are having a fabulous Monday night.  If you are a teacher, I am sure you are because you do not have to teach in the morning! Cheers to vacation!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jessica

 

The Power of a Writer

So, I’ve been slacking on the writing part of my life.  And every time I do, I just want to kick myself.  I am currently working on several Writing Units for my TPT store.  They just take so long because I am meticulous, yet scatterbrained.  A deathly combination.  I am too darn passionate about too many things.  I care about EVERYTHING.  I have tried to calmy  explain this to Ryan.  Alas, it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people.  Anyhoo- as I am working tonight on one of my 478 projects, I came across something I wrote 4 years ago at the Poynter Institute Writers Camp.  This was a camp run for 4th-8th grade students and teachers at the Poynter Institute for Journalism and Media Studies in St. Petersburg by Roy Peter Clark.  AMAZING.  That is a whole other blog post!

One of the benefits of this 3 week camp was the visitors or presenters.  One day, the author and journalist Tom French spoke to us- the teachers and students.  At the time, I was enthralled and obsessed with Harry Potter.  I would like to say I got over that, but it’s not true.  Well, he told us how his newborn had some issues when she was born and he read Harry Potter to her at the hospital.  Before I say more, I am including below what I wrote after this presentation.  If it makes you tear up, please know this is how I felt as his story touched my heart and reminded me why I read, more importantly, why I write.

The Power of a Writer

By Jessica Bullock

Mildred Helms Elementary, 5^th Grade Teacher

“The power of a writer.  Stories matter.”  When Tom French tells a story, people listen.  He creates a sound that grabs you and captivates your attention.  The stories are detailed and heartwarming.  They leave you hanging on to every word, wondering what will happen next, and hungry (actually starving) for more.  Writers have an eye for a good story.  They can elicit a story wherever they go. In their home, in a school, or even in a zoo finding a way to develop characters.

Tom wanted to be a writer since he was 10.  Slapping his notebook in his hands, he was inspired daily by Mrs. Bell as she read to him each and every day.   One day that teacher, who he would forever remember, announced they would be writing a story.  In Tom’s words, this was when a lightning storm came over his head because he was ready.  He was ready to write his own story after years of listening to other writers tell their story.  That storm is never-ending because he continues to constantly tell stories today.  Stories that matter.

In his book, Zoo Story, he tells stories of Lowry Park Zoo, bringing the animals to life and helping us to understand their individual personalities.  On that hot, summer day in July at Writers Camp, every child (and adult) hung onto his words as he told us these stories. Enshalla, a ferocious tiger. 11 elephants on 1 airplane.  Herman, the chimp, who thought he was human.  And the one story that stuck out to us all was Junebug- his daughter.

At 3 months old, Juniper August weighs 3 pounds, which is tripling her birth weight.  She fights to make it through one more day.  One more night.  This is where her father comes in to help wage her war.  Each day, Junebug listens as her father tells the story of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.  She listens as his story unfolds.  She listens to his losses, his tragedies, and his battle for the good vs. evil.

She listens as he continues to lose people that matter most to him, yet he never gives up.   Junebug may not be able to understand every word J.K. Rowling has written, but her father’s voice, calm, tells her a story. Makes her happy.  Soothes her.  Tom French knows this makes her happy because her monitors go up to show that more oxygen is saturating her blood as he reads the story.

He knows which characters are her favorite. Dobby, who doesn’t love Dobby? He know which characters scare her (so many…).    He knows that he had to change Hagrid’s rough voice. Not because he is a villain, but because she needs to hear the sweet soothing sound of her father’s voice that reassures her everything will be okay.

Scientific proof is in front of him, revealing that his storytelling is making a difference and that the writer of those books, J.K.Rowling has power.  She has power as a writer.  Tom knows this because he is a writer.  His beliefs are confirmed by his daughter.  Junebug receives her strength from the sweet calm of her father’s voice telling a story.  And she continues the fight.  Fighting hard because she wants to know what her father is going to say next in his stories.

With three books published and the luxury of hearing him tell a story- we know the power of Tom French, the Writer.  But now…after hearing the beginning of Junebug’s story, The Girl Who Lived, we know also that one more thing is for certain.

Stories matter.

Motivation

Oh, how I love Pinterest! Sometimes it’s like picking up a favorite book off of your bookshelf to hear exactly what you need hear.  Or should I say read.  Today was one of those days when you question your career choice.  I truly LOVE teaching.  I love sharing my passion for reading and writing, then seeing how my students catch that bug like it’s contagious.  For example, today we finished The Tiger Rising.  Let me pause and just reminisce on that for a moment.  I think this may be my favorite children’s book.  Somehow, Kate DiCamillo topped my love for Harry Potter.  Congratulations, Kate!  You win! I don’t know why or how this book hasn’t been turned into a movie.

As we were reading the book, I kept telling my students I was going to tear up.  They didn’t believe me. Today, they saw it.  Those last few chapters are a doozy! She is a powerful writer.  So powerful.  I’ve come to realize this is how a book makes it to my favorites list- makes me cry.  (i.e. Mockingjay, Because of Winn-Dixie, Harry Potter)Isn’t that what we want?  To read a book that tugs at our hearts?  Keeps us on the edge of our seats? Makes us feel the emotions our characters are feeling?  It sure doesn’t feel like fiction to me-we’ve come to know these characters and journeyed alongside them as they face obstacles and turmoil.

Back to the point of today’s post. Motivation.  Clearly as you can see above, my motivation every day is watching my students experience what it means to be a reader and a writer.  Dare I say, these things matter more to me than Math or Science. Because I know how Reading and Writing have helped me to deal with life.  Not just my job or my career, but life.  I know that when I have a day like today, I can come home and find a wonderful quote or insight. Or I can pick up the book I’ve been reading and hope something finally happens even though I am halfway through! Or I can go back to one of my favorites on the bookshelf.  Either way, I am escaping into a world that enthralls me and embraces me.  I feel a sense of calm in a world chaotic, crazy, and sometimes crippling.

Motivation.  What motivates us at work?  I found the above photo on Pinterest and of course it is from TEDBlog and is linked to the full blog post which analyzes, “What motivates us at work?” If you would like to see the full blog, you can find it here.

The one that speaks to me the most is:

“Positive reinforcement about our abilities may increase our performance.”

Isn’t this true? Especially for teachers.  Just as our students need to hear that they are doing something (ANYTHING)  well-so do teachers.  Not just from our kids, who probably love us the most and matter the most, but from our colleagues, parents, and administrators.

What are your thoughts?  What motivates you at work?  Is it different for you every day?  I think it is for me.  Tomorrow, I might be motivated by “positive images.”  Or maybe they all matter every day?  Points to Ponder 🙂

Happy Tuesday! I hope you are having a merry week!

-Jessica

Book Clubs

Hello December! The holidays are flying by! Thanksgiving came and went.  Now, I am feeling the pressure to get my holiday shopping completed. Dare I say, I have not even started.  (Shocking, I know!)

Moving right along to a fascinating topic-Book Clubs!

Using Book Clubs in the classroom can be one of the most fascinating projects, but also an overwhelming force to be reckoned with.  We started Book Clubs in my 4th grade classroom before Thanksgiving Break.  I am working on a Book Club bundle right now, but I wanted to keep a record and ongoing chronicle of how it’s going in my classroom.  This is the beginning of that journey.  So far, we have done the following:

Day 1:  Organized our Book Clubs, I assigned the books and groups.  Students unpacked their Book Club folders and gave themselves a name.  They set goals for finishing  the book, how long it would take them, how many pages per day.

Day 2:  We had a fishbowl Book Club conversation so students could see what the Book Club conversation should look like & sound like.

Day 3-4:  Book Clubs met and I circulated the room and helped guide the conversations.

Day 5:  We are here:)

So, my next post will provide more details & pictures about what I have found works and doesn’t work:)  Stay tuned!

-Jessica

November

Hey, guys!  Well, it’s been some time.  The last time I posted was Labor Day weekend.  Egads! Much has happened since Labor Day.  Here is a rundown:

• I’ve posted at least 5 almost posts
• we’ve moved into a new house in Clearwater (LOVIN IT!!)
• Halloween came and went- BOO:(:(:(
• my students and I have read Indian in the Cupboard-  I don’t know how I never read this book as a child, but it didn’t happen.
• we have moved on to my favorite Read-Aloud:  The Tiger Rising